Farmer organisations across Punjab burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and business tycoons Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani during Dasehra celebrations on Sunday as a mark of protest against the Centre's new farm laws.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter on Monday to call it "dangerous precedent" and "bad for our country".
"This happened all over Punjab yesterday. It’s sad that Punjab is feeling such anger towards PM. This is a very dangerous precedent and is bad for our country. PM should reach out, listen and give a healing touch quickly," Rahul tweeted along with a newspaper clipping.
According to a report by The Tribune, the call to burn effigies was given by the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan).
A huge effigy with photographs of Modi, Ambani and Adani was burnt in Bathinda with similar protests held in various other districts.
"We have burnt the effigies to send out the message that we are going to intensify our agitation against the new farm laws in the coming days," Kulwinder Kaur, member, BKU (Ugrahan) Sangrur unit, was quoted as saying by the daily.
Effigies of Modi and business tycoons was also burnt in Sangrur, Barnala, Malerkotla and Mandi Ahmedgarh. The Kisan Majdoor Sangharsh Committee burnt the effigies in Ferozepur where protesters demanded the immidiate rollback of the farm laws.
BKU activists also held protests in many parts of Haryana. A large number of activists of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), led by its Haryana president Gurnam Singh, held a protest near Ambala, PTI reported.
At the protest site, farmers raised slogans against the Centre and the BJP-led state government demanding withdrawal of the agriculture laws.
Later, as part of their protest they burnt an effigy of the Prime Minister. Similar protests by BKU activists were also held at some other places in the state.
Talking to reporters, Singh said that the agitations against the new farm laws will continue till the Union government withdraws them.
